Bank of Mum and Dad - BBC2 8pm Tuesdays

surfcat

...and on that point mountainofdebt, I would agree with you, although slightly. My own view is that the money you will earn is irrelevant (although it's certainly easier to earn big bucks if you do a good degree at a good university - I have a friend with an Oxford engineering degree who's now earning 65K three years after graduation - as a management consultant of course!!) I think anyone who goes to uni to pursue their subject will think it worth it - there is absolutely no way I could pursue a career as a research scientist without having my degree. If other people want to drink their way through university then that's up to them - I can't see why anyone should be jealous of that.

surfcat

Ember999 wrote:

Good Luck Pitbull, WELL DONE! :T :T :T

Ember x

But if you work hard at school and then work through uni to get agree are you not as good?

Ember999

surfcat wrote:

But if you work hard at school and then work through uni to get agree are you not as good?

There was no motivation in giving my best wishes to this person other than to give him a little support and a pat on the back.
Yes, You do have a point, but I think for anyone to take on further education at the age of 43 (think that's how old he is) deserves a bit of praise.
Also, I presume his 'degree' will be appropriate to his current job (as his employers are paying?) so at least his degree will be useful. It cannot be denied that lots of 'students' enter university to get degrees that will not actually get them a job or better their lives. Have you seen some of the 'degrees' you can get?

surfcat

Ember999 wrote:

Have you seen some of the 'degrees' you can get?

I know. The whole of the education system is becoming dumbed down. On the one hand, perhaps someone doing 'golf management studies' will go on to manage a golf course, but I would agree that this seems like a bit of a waste of time. Add to this SOME media studies type degrees, SOME law degrees (which don't make you a lawyer, just tell you a bit about the law and then you have to do your expensive law course afterwards) and kite-flying, klingon and surfing studies. However this is what the government of the day has decided upon to be a 'good idea', and in the process, A-levels are being devalued (removal of fixed quotas getting each grade), GCSE's (much lower standard than O-levels (and I did GCSEs btw), and now they even pay kids to stay on in the 6th form - so now kids who don't want to be there are being paid to disrupt lessons for another 2 years. Then there's the fact that most of the media pretends to champion intelligence and common sense whilst devoting most of their output to chav reality TV and celebrities.

Sorry going off topic a bit (more) now.

SC

Caixta

ceegee wrote:

I haven't got a television magazine or paper (too tight ). Is it on tonight, does anyone happen to know?

Thursday 21st July 8pm - 9pm on BBC2.

It's required watching for my 7 and 9 year old boys. They love it!

By the way ceegee, you're not tight if you haven't got a tv mag, just canny! If you like, here is a link to a good tv guide on the net:

https://www.onthebox.com

I discovered it when I wanted to cut down on buying newspapers, etc. This is free and quite easy to use. Hope this helps.

pitbull

Ember999 wrote:

to take on further education at the age of 43 (think that's how old he is) deserves a bit of praise.

Also, I presume his 'degree' will be appropriate to his current job (as his employers are paying?) so at least his degree will be useful.

Correct on both counts and thank you for your encouragement. :beer:

BWZN93

Hmmm. I was reading this thread then saw the little fall out over uni v. work debate, and it got me thinking to how I felt a couple of weeks ago, after finishing my final exams at uni.

I left school at 15 without a GCSE to my name, and worked for several years, on the 'shop floor', KP in an old peoples home, basic office jobs etc etc, i did them all, even a stint in outbound cold calling (and lasted for three days). After a particularly horrendous point in my life at 19years old (I tried to kill myself, i'd fallen out with my mother for 2 years and had no contact,I quit my job, my partner dumped me, and I had a miscarriage), I had nothing, and yes, it was partly my fault, so im not saying "woe is me please give me sympathy".

I was randomly sitting in the park by the lake one day thinking about what I was going to do (probably thinking about throwing myself in it tbh - but as a really good swimmer, It wouldnt have really worked :rolleyes: ) and happened to see my mum having a walk around the very same park, at the very same time. She took me back home and I became her 'au-pair' to take care of my brother and the housework etc, as she is a single parent. I was then faced with two options, as I didnt want to stay at home for the rest of my life, and Stoke on Trent can be an exceptionally boring place to be (sorry to other stokies reading). I decided - Join the Forces and see the world, or go to uni and join in with the fun.

As I had tried to kill myself, the forces wasnt an option, as id been suffering from depression etc and i simply wouldnt have passed the medical. On to Uni I figure - Theres nothing interesting me here. Anyway. I got myself a part time job as a supervisor in a shop, did the housework, and started studying with the Open University, as it was a viable alternative to A levels for getting in. I took a couple of GCSE's at college too, maths and english at C grade are required.

So, I applied for some uni's and eventually got accepted to a pretty posh one in the South West, and toddled off on the first day all excited, at 21years old. My first year was amazing, made a lot of cool freinds, actually managed on a stupidly small budget despite drinking my weight in booze on an average night. The first year came and went, the second started and carried on in a similar way to the first, in a lesser way. problems came in my third year, where I was ill for a few months and had to defer. My second attempt at year 3 has just finished.

My point to all this is, was it worth it? Ive done Uni, and done the shop floor type work. Well, the last year has been tough, and my peers from home are earning around £22 - 25k now, and they didnt have a degree, whilst I am having trouble finding one. University of Life, or University of School?

I find the arguments on here quite petty. Having read criticisms about 'some of the degrees nowadays' etc, and that a law degree 'teaches some law before you go and pay out for the expensive law course' etc etc has appalled me. Equally, the insinuation that those who dont go to uni are teenage pregnants with crack head chav boyfriends are disgraceful.

When I worked in lower level jobs, I didnt sit there and look at my manager with his degree and think, he thinks im some stupid little girl. He was probably more worried about meeting the monthly targets set by head office than whether I was an idiot or not. Similarly, I dont look 'down' on those without degrees now and think what an idiot. Each to our own and all that. Everyone finds their niche in life, its not for others to judge. Whats wrong in furthering an interest in something, even if it is how to be in a band or something? Equally, there is nothing 'wrong' with people who work in a video shop all thier lives.

What is important is what goes on in our heads, and our hearts, and the life we make outside of work. After all, working is about making money to live for most people - degree or not - and for the lucky few, they get to live doing the things they really love doing. The rest of us should just hope that we dont encounter horiffic situations, that we have freinds and family to love, and when we are on our deathbed, we dont have any regrets.

Im sure that when my time on this earth is ending, I wont be looking back and thinking, "now why exactly didnt I do something other than Uni, because I got into all that debt for a piece of paper". Ill know that I did what I wanted to do, it was no-one elses decision, I enjoyed it, and thats it.

Jo xx

p.s - University of School does not make one blind to the ways of the real world, and University of Life does not make one open to the ways of the world either.

My spiel is over.

p.p.s - if you dont see the point to my story, then I just wanted to point out that it is not every case that just goes to uni cos its the 'done thing', I had serious problems and needed a focus to get myself out of it, and for me, uni was a great thing, even though there are downsides. There is no difference between the people that go to uni and those that dont, we should all just be doing the best we can for ourselves. In my case, Uni was the best thing for me. A friend of mine quit 3 weeks into her degree. It simply wasnt for her. But we are both happy!

Kantankrus_Mare

Well put jw!!

Me thinks you have a very sensible head on your shoulders and far may it take you!!

People can be very snobby about education and the jobs that people do for a living.

I myself work as a waitress and also behind a bar. Often people that know me well will ask why I didnt do "more" with my life as I was quite bright at school, but life progresses and the work I do now fits in with my husband and my children and suits my lifestyle and I resent this attitude very much!!

Yes I could have done university if i'd wanted but to keep up with the high powered job this may have brought,,,,,I may have had to put my children into all day care as toddlers just to allow me to carry on with career and I cant think of any thing worse.

Good luck to the people that have done well but by the same token don't knock people that do every day jobs! We are all different and all have something to offer!

bunking_off

jw...

at last, some sanity in this debate!

pitbull

Kantankrus_Mare wrote:

I myself work as a waitress and also behind a bar. Often people that know me well will ask why I didnt do "more" with my life as I was quite bright at school, but life progresses and the work I do now fits in with my husband and my children and suits my lifestyle and I resent this attitude very much!!

Yes I could have done university if i'd wanted but to keep up with the high powered job this may have brought,,,,,I may have had to put my children into all day care as toddlers just to allow me to carry on with career and I cant think of any thing worse.

Good luck to the people that have done well but by the same token don't knock people that do every day jobs! We are all different and all have something to offer!

Well said, it is often forgotten that people do have a life and they chose their own destiny. People with high flying careers have to make thier sacrifices somewhere and sometimes they are expensive sacrifices both financially and emotianly.

The crux of this is if you are happy with the direction you have chosen then why should you consider anything else? The thing I really hate is the discrimination shown to people just because they do a certain job or wear overalls!

look at the person underneath.